This summer, we marked a powerful milestone: the first convening of our new California Justice Leaders (CJL) Alumni Advisory Board. Over the next two years, this dynamic group of seven alumni — chosen for their dedication, imagination, and expertise — will lead the design of an innovative new apprenticeship model to facilitate better pathways to long-term employment for system-impacted young people and second-chance employers across California.
California Justice Leaders is — and always has been — focused on cultivating the leaders our communities need. This groundbreaking AmeriCorps service program has empowered over 200 members to support young people in their communities while strengthening their own voices to share their experiences. Today, our members are placed at more than 30 community-based organizations and public offices across the state. Many have gone on to secure employment in justice reform and reentry work (including several positions here at Impact Justice), and our Alumni Network — created in response to our members’ desire for continued connection and growth — has developed into a robust ecosystem. Alumni now lead trainings, speak at events, and act as mentors to current members, proving that justice-impacted individuals don’t just benefit from investment: they multiply its impact.
Our members aren’t just participants in a program — they’re building skills to shape our collective future, and their aspirations often go far beyond a single sector. They deserve a say in how we build employer partnerships and design workforce opportunities to reflect their dreams and strengths.
This is where the new California Justice Leaders Alumni Advisory Board comes in. Over the next two years, our seven board members will help us design a corporate apprenticeship model that meets the real-world needs of system-impacted talent and leads to permanent jobs with second-chance employers. They’ll co-lead meetings with employer partners, facilitate focus groups to uncover barriers to employment, and identify high-potential industries for second-chance hiring. Their insights will ground our efforts in real-world needs and help ensure that members remain central to every step of the process.
In this work, there are always challenges. Many of our alumni are in the early years of reentry — juggling school, work, family, housing, and court obligations. We’ve also seen that not all employment partners come ready to engage meaningfully. While some are eager to host a volunteer day, fewer are prepared to confront how their hiring policies may exclude people with records. Others rely on a single champion inside the company, only to have efforts fade when that person moves on. That’s why we’re focused on cultivating deep, lasting partnerships with employers who are ready to reimagine what second-chance employment can look like.
It’s time for more employers to understand that lived experience isn’t a liability — it’s a leadership asset. With the guidance of our Alumni Advisory Board, we’re baking equity, ownership, and agency into every layer of the CJL experience. This isn’t just about leveling the playing field for people coming home from incarceration. It’s about the power of justice-impacted young people to build something better — not someday, but now.
At its core, the California Justice Leaders program exists to create pathways to personal, professional, and community transformation. Our newest chapter is proof: when you invest in the leadership of those closest to the struggle, you unlock the boldest solutions.
Meet the Alumni Advisory Board
